Top



lW. J. KERR.

TOP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB' 1J.. 1919. RENEWED OCT. 23, 1919. 1,338,575.

Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

WILLIAM J. KERK, 0F SMETHPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

TOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2v, 1920.

Application led February 17, 1919, Serial No. 277,592. Renewed October 23, 1919. Serial No. 332,854.

tain new and useful Improvements in Tops;

and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothersy skilled in the art to which it appertains Vto make and use the 2 same.

lily invention relates to amusement devices and more particularly -to childrens tops, the object being to provide a simple and inexpensive device of this character by which numerous peculiar and amusing optical effect-s will be produced.

vWith the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel features of construction and unique association of-parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this application.

Figure l is a vertical section of a top constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figs. 2, 3 and a are horizontal sections on the planes designated `by the lines 2-2, 3 8, and 4de, respectively, of vFig.'1.

In the drawings above briefly described, the numeral l designates a hollow base or casing preferably constructed as shown, of a solid bottom 2, an open-work top 3, and interlitting circular flanges 3 on the edges of said top and bottom, said top in most instances being in the form of a spider having a central bearing opening l; and-verti cally alined with the opening Ll, the bottom 2 is provided with a bearing socket 5. A. vertical staff 6 passes downwardly through the opening e; and is pointed at 6 for engagement with the bearing 5, said staff carrying a fly wheel or disk 7 located in'the casing 1, and being additionally provided with a knob 8 for spinning the sta and fly wheel.

Pivotally mounted upon the open-work top 3, in the present instance upon the several spider arms, are horizontal disks 9 all preferably located in the same plane and arranged so that their peripheral edgeswill contact with the staffv 6, whereby the latter serves to rotate the disks; and in a plane above the aforesaid disks, a disk-like shutter 10 is secured on the staff. The shutter, the disks 9, and the fly wheel 7, may be decorated or colored in numerous ways or only certain of these parts may be treated in this manner, the result being that as the fly wheel 7 continues to rotate the staff 6, after the knob 8 has `been released, the rotating fly wheel, disks, and shutter, will produce nun merous color combinations which are very amusing and more or less instructive in illustrating the manner in which combinations of colors will produce other colors. Also, the shutter in rotating at a different speed from the disks 9, produces very pleasin@ results.

Inreferably but not necessarily employed in connection with the above described features, is a disk 1l or a plurality of such disks, separate from and resting flat upon the fly wheel 7, so that as said wheel rotates, it will in turn rotate the disks 11 against the peripheral wall of the casing 1. The disks may be of such size as to permit them to be easily inserted and removed through the openwork top 3 and since such disks may be differently colored or otherwise ornamented, their use in connection with the shutter 10 and the disks 9, will serve for further amusement and instruction, it being obvious lthat first a disk of one color and then one of another may be dropped into the casing 4or that several different colors C7 may be used at the same time.

The device is extremely simple and inexn pensive, yet it will be highly amusing and more or less instructive, and since probably the best results may be obtained from the details shown, they may well be employed. However, within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous minor changes may well be made and it is to be understood that any desired ornamentation such as color, may be used for the 'several parts, but in some cases, all ornamentation may be omitted it' desired and the mere difference in the rotative directions and speeds of the several parts relied upon to amuse. Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate lines on the disks 9 and shutter 10. In the areas separated by the lines on the disks, I prefer to use yellow and white stripes on one disk, red and white on the next, and green and white on the third. The areas between the lines on the' shutter preferably contain red, white and blue stripes.

I claim:

l. A top comprising a support, a plurality of disks rotatably mounted thereon, in substantially the same plane, a shutter in a plane parallel to that of said disks, and means for rotating said disks and shutter.

2. A top comprising a support, a plurality of disks rotatably mounted thereon, in substantially the same plane, a shutter in a plane parallel to that of said disks,

staff carrying said shutter and contacting With said disks to rotate them, and a fly Wheel on said staff.

3. A top comprising a casing adapted to rest upon a supporting surface, the bottom of said casing having a bearing and the top thereof having an opening alined with said bearing, a vertical staff passing through said opening and resting on said bearing, a

fly Wheel in said casing secured on said staff, and a plurality of horizontal disks rotatably and permanently mounted on the top of said casing With their peripheral edges in contact With said staff.

4. A top comprising a casing adapted to rest upon a supporting surface, the bottom of said casing having a bearing and the top thereof having an opening alined With said bearing, a vertical staff passing through said opening and resting on said bearing, a fly Wheel in said casing secured on said stati', a plurality of horizontal disks rotatably mounted on the top of said casing with their peripheral edges in contact with said staff, and a shutter disk secured on said staff above said first named disks.

5. A top consisting of a circular casing having a top through which its contents may be viewed, a rotary disk in said casing with its periphery in close proximity to the peripheral Wall thereof, and a relatively small disk separate from and lying upon said rotary disk to be rotated by the latter against the aforesaid peripheral Wall.

6. A structure as specified in claim 5, together With rotary disks mounted on said casing top, and a staff rising from said first named rotary disk and contacting with the peripheral edges of said plurality of disks.

7. A structure as specified in claim 5, to-

gether with a rotary shutter above said casing top, and a staff rising from said first named disk and carrying said shutter.

8. A structure as specied in claim 5, together With a plurality of relatively small disks rotatably mounted on said casing top, a rotary shutter above said relatively small disks, and a staff rising from said first named disk in contact With the peripheral edges of said relatively small disks, and carrying said shutter.

9. A top comprising a circular casing adapted to rest upon a supporting surface, the bottom of said casing having a bearing, and the top thereof being of open-Work formation and provided With a bearing opening alined with said bearing, a vertical staff passing through said bearing opening and supported by said bearing, a ily Wheel in said casing secured on said staff, a plurality of horizontal disks rotatably mounted on the casing top with their peripheral edges in contact With said staff, and a shutter on said staff above said disks.

10. A structure as specified in claim 9, together With an additional disk separate from and lying flat upon said fly wheel to be rotated by the latter upon the peripheral Wall of the casing.

l1. A top comprising a horizontal spinning disk, a loose disk resting on said spinning diskand adapted to be carried around and centrifugally thrown out thereby, and relatively fixed means for contact with the outer peripheral edge of said loose disk during motion of the latter.

l2. A top comprising a horizontal spinning disk, a loose disk resting on said spinning disk and adapted to be carried around and centrifugally thrown out thereby, and a relatively fixed circular Wall with which the peripheral edge of said loose disk is adapted to contact While in motion.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set m hand.

y WILLIAM J. KERR. 

